The Two-Way

9:26 am

Mon January 23, 2012

Pakistan Officially Rejects U.S. Report On NATO Strike

Using strong words, Pakistan's military officially rejected a U.S. report, which concluded a NATO strike that killed 24 Pakistani troops was undertaken in self defense. Pakistan's military said parts of the report were "factually not correct."

"The fundamental cause of the incident of 26th November, 2011, was the failure of U.S./ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) to share its near-border operation with Pakistan at any level," the military said in a statement, according to Reuters. "Affixing partial responsibility of the incident on Pakistan is therefore unjustified and unacceptable."

If you remember, the incident fueled public outrage against the U.S. and soured already tense relations between the two countries. In response to the NATO attack, Pakistan closed its Western border to Afghanistan, stopping an important supply route for coalition troops.

The AP adds:

"The U.S. claimed the airstrikes were justified because Pakistani troops fired first at Afghan and American forces operating across the border in Afghanistan.

"The Pakistani report claims its troops fired at militants, not coalition forces. It also claims the militants were operating in a different area than the foreign troops.

"The report called the U.S. strikes 'disproportionate' and 'excessive.'"

Now, this report was expected. As we've reported, both sides have disagreed on whether Pakistan gave the go-ahead for the attack.